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DeSantis Proposes Minimum Teacher Salary Of $47,500
October 8, 2019
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is proposing an increase in the minimum starting salary for teachers across the state.
The governor’s proposed 2020 budget recommendation will include a pay raise for more than 101,000 teachers in Florida by raising the minimum salary to $47,500. The starting salary in Escambia County for new hire teachers is $37,800, according to the district website.
According to the National Education Association, Florida ranks 26th in the nation for starting teacher pay at $37,636. With this investment of over $600 million, raising the minimum salary to $47,500 will rank Florida second in the nation for starting teacher pay.
“We are experiencing a teacher shortage in Florida,” said DeSantis during an announcement at Middleburg High School in Clay County.
“With a strong economy and plenty of jobs available in other fields, unfortunately too many college graduates are unwilling to enter the teaching profession. My proposal to increase the minimum salary for teachers to $47,500 will help alleviate this shortage and elevate the teaching profession to the level of appreciation it deserves. This is long overdue, and I look forward to working with the legislature to make this a reality,” DeSantis said.
“Getting a great teacher in front of every child is the number one proven way to get great outcomes for students,” said Commissioner of Education Richard Corcoran. “Today, Governor Ron DeSantis is elevating Florida’s teachers like never before and is making a statement nationally that Florida is the Education State and he is the Education Governor. Florida going from number 26 to number 2 in the nation in starting pay sends a clear signal to Florida’s teachers and our entire education family that we are ready to celebrate our teachers and foster lifelong success for our students.”
Comments
21 Responses to “DeSantis Proposes Minimum Teacher Salary Of $47,500”
I propose a $1 minimum salary. Negotiate from there.
REGARDING:
“if you raise my property taxes to give me a raise, well……… I think you can see that I am no better off.”
If I raise your taxes $100 and your salary $1.00, you are in worse shape.
If I raise your taxes $100 and your salary $100, you are in worse shape because income related taxes will take even more.
If I raise your total taxes $100 and your salary $100, you are in no worse shape.
If I raise your taxes $100 and your salary $1,000 you are in better shape.
If I raise your taxes $0 and we run out of competent teachers, we are all in worse shape because society will break down. (Assuming the teachers are never replaced.)
If we figure out how to make competent robot teachers, things will get very interesting.
David for RoboTeach, RoboFireFighter, RoboCop
REGARDING:
“If you have never walked the beat don’t respond you will just make a simpleton of your narrow minded self.”
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(David for following instructions)
Well kiss my a- – but I’m a law enforcement officer and without us there is no students or teachers. I and my partners have gone years and years without a raise in pay. Now I’m Thinking about quitting because I don’t see the point anymore. I have a family just like the teachers but my a- – is the one on the line . I have a daughter in school so don’t even go there but I’m putting my life one the line. Raises for correctional officers and Escambia county police. If you have never walked the beat don’t respond you will just make a simpleton of your narrow minded self. Other wise put on a uniform and come get some.
@Richard Harris
Who taught the firefighters and the police? TEACHERS!
Ways to pay (would be appropriate for middle and high school level, and this would not apply to disabled students):
If a student maintains a 3.0 grade point average (GPA) or higher, school is free. (Auto insurers give premium discounts for this.)
Once below a 2.9 GPA, a tiered system of fees begin. In the 2.9 – 2.0 range, minimal, but noticeable, fees are based on just the classes below 2.9.
But from 1.9 and down, fees increase exponentially. Ouch.
Why? Because excessive funds are spent on remedial courses for students (and their parents) who are apathetic to education. It’s past time to charge a fee for laziness.
Apathetic students and their parents should have to pay a fee when grades are too low. If implemented, one of two things would happen: The parents would make certain their child was keeping grades up at 3.0 at all times to avoid fees; or these kids would drop out (sooner rather than later). No refunds to drop out.
Fights, consistent and repeated referral students, excessive absences… fees/fines.
Oh, and school scoring matrices should reward schools and faculty for every student above 3.0, and reward more when any 1.9 or lower student moves above 2.5 and does not return to 1.9 or lower again. (Right now, low scores are punitive against schools and teachers.)
Those fees should be adequate to pay the salaries of remedial teachers. Any left over fees go to core course teachers at the end of the year.
Bottom line: Education comes with a price tag. Those students and parents who cause schools to be “F”, “D”, and mediocre “C” in their communities should pay an inconvenience fee, and start working with their own children and their school to reach and maintain a no cost level of 3.0 and add meaning to their lives.
@Richard Harris – congrats on the most ridiculous comment on this thread. FF and Police have plenty of down town, teachers don’t. Sure teachers get the summers off (on paper), but the majority of the teachers that I know either go to conferences, plan their next year, work on their classrooms, etc. There are days off, but not as many as you would think. Additional FF and PD have the option to work OT for additional compensation. Teachers do not. Their salary is their salary. There isn’t anyway to earn additional. My wife (whose school day ends at 2:30) is never home before 5. Just because the kids leave doesn’t mean her job is done. If you’re going to comment on articles, please try to be educated, or you will just make it look like us public servants are a bunch of whiners.
@ Richard Harris
I hear you, friend and I agree. But don’t call a teacher. What’s left of them are all in meetings regarding the ridiculous amount of standardized testing, so they are currently unavailable.
There are many problems with education in Florida and salary is but one of those problems. Not only is there a shortage of new teachers (can you blame them?), but there’s also a mass exodus of highly qualified, experienced teachers (can you blame them?).
“Children are our future and our greatest asset” they like to say so often.
REALLY??? Then why do you NOT invest in your “Future and Greatest Asset”.
You politicians are so full of it and everyone can see right through it.
Business as usual…talking out of both sides of your mouth.
So the teachers are going to be starting at a higher salary than Fire fighters and police officers. that’s the power of the NEA union. so if your house catches fire or you have a medical emergency, Don’t call 911 call a teacher.
Great to hear starting salaries may be going up for teachers, they need it but the school district needs this for all of their employees. The school district does not run on teachers alone. You got to have teacher aids, cafeteria workers, custodians, workers in Maintenance, Facilities, IT, HR, Accounting, Finance, Transportation and other Departments to make the district work. Everybody needs raises especially with how bad the benefits and insurance have gotten over the years.
Well-said, Anne. May I join you with your knitting? Tired of empty promises.
@chillywilly. You are correct. Our starting salary for state correctional officers is 33,000k and you only get a raise if you promote. That breaks down to 16.11 an hour. Right now we have an “issue” with all of our staff leaving to go work for the county so they actually get payed decent. I love my job, and show up every day ready to take on whatever the day holds. Our pay though is very insufficient for the profession we have.
You can throw $$$ at the problem to correct it, but until the state, county and teachers agree on a test for competent teachers, as was the NTE(National Teachers Exam) the problem of many poor teachers will continue to enter the system jaded by teaching a test to look good on paper! I speak from being in the system for 39 years and seeing the bar for achievement lowered to accommodate nothing but statistical norms! Raise the bar for success for both students and teachers as well as administrators! This is not just good enough for “government work!”
I am a teacher AND I am a property owner. So, if you raise my property taxes to give me a raise, well……… I think you can see that I am no better off.
Teacher salaries come from property tax not the state budget Mr desantis how about giving state employees a raise something you have control over fdoc correction officers went ten years with out a raise politics as usual
A wonderful gesture..but just that…We teachers have been down this road before..remember GOV Charlie Christ..he wanted to raise teachers’ salaries to$100,000 per year..was an election year, I believe, when he proposed it..just read this morning that our FRS PENSIONS might be in jeopardy.
WHEN ARE THOSE IN POWER GOING TO REALIZE THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SHORTAGE IF THEY DON’T DO SOMETHING ABOUT SALARIES AND WORKING CONDITIONS??
I’m all for it as it’s needed and long overdue.
However, I’ve been a teacher in Escambia County for 15 years now and that’s my salary.
Will my salary be increased to reflect my experience and service to the district, or will it be compressed such that a new teacher with no experience earns the same as a teacher with 15 years of experience?
Unfortunately, I already know the answer.
Teachers do deserve to be paid fairly and it’s great to see the Governor support the teachers or is it pandering to the union. He proposed the raising of the starting salary but what about thz effects of salary compression The teacher who has been on the job 15 years and makes 48000? Will it raise their salary? The local school boards pay the teachers. Is the state going cover the difference? Its easy to promise to give when it doesn’t cost you anything.
This is such good news for our teachers and students. Quality teachers need to be paid better!
I’d be very surprised if the state legislature was on board but good on DeSantis for proposing this. This is long overdue. You can go work at Walmart for what they are paying these teachers. I hope this actually happens.
Geez, Governor, you’d think that someone as well advised as you would have been informed that Florida is a COLLECTIVE BARGAINING STATE.
Which means it is required by LAW that there must be bargaining between the Employee Unions and the Local School Boards about any salary issues.
Yep, we know, it sounds Real Good for Governors and Legislators to thump their drum and proclaim “Teacher Raises”, More Money for Public Education than ever in history but when the rubber hits the road those are largely Empty Words.
One question, Gov. is where will the money Come From for those raises? State budget is one bucket and many dippers go into there.
Teacher pay isn’t all that is making for fewer teachers. May I suggest you really spend some months with Testing, Parents, Administrators, and Oh the Many Laws that influence Education. Get into the trenches before you think PAY is the only issue. The kids are generally the more wonderful part of teaching, always have been,
But, Gov. neither you nor your cabinet can just dictate Teacher Pay. And, how about the many many many others who are involved with our students? Bus Drivers, the building and transportation crews, cafeterias, custodial/housekeepers, and on and on and on. THEY too should be compensated.
Going back to my knitting now, you just cannot announce a pay raise.
Thanks for the words though, maybe one day they’ll mean something.